Winemaker Notes
Red and green with wild plum, raspberry, dried tobacco, green peppercorn and dried porcini mushrooms. Rosemary and thyme. Expansive and supple. Hibiscus tea. Round and generous. Tightens in a delicious way with vinous tannins that cover the palate and roll seamlessly into a long and lively finish. Savory, dusty and crunchy. Perfect mix of green herbs and exotic spice with deep, dark fruit. Refined and elegant wine with a wild side. A wine of depth, class and pleasure.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Similarly colored, the 2017 Pinot Noir Old Guard offers more Burgundian notes of ripe red and black fruits, scorched earth, ground herbs, and forest floor. It too is rich, pure, and polished, with beautiful concentration. It's another magical Pinot Noir from the talented Matt Dees that will benefit from short-term cellaring and keep for over a decade (although it's far from unapproachable today).
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Pinot Noir Old Guard was made using 35% whole cluster and was aged 12 months in neutral oak. Pale to medium ruby-purple, it gives aromas of garrigue, dried herbs and meaty touches opening to blueberry, black plum, blackberries and spicy touches. Light to medium-bodied with herbal and earthy accents, it has firm, grainy tannins and good freshness, finishing lifted. 289 cases produced.
Wines defined by place, style and time. In the southwest corner of Sta. Rita Hills AVA lies a rugged, windswept, coastal vineyard, called The Hilt Estate; estate grower producer of stunning Pinot Noir and Chardonnay reflective of this dynamic corner of California.
Pushing the limits; in the farthest southwest reach of the Sta. Rita Hills AVA is home to Radian & Bentrock Vineyards, these vineyards dictate The Hilt style.
The numerous microclimates and unique soils provide a multilayered backdrop to create 3 unique expressions: Estate, The Guards, and Single Vineyards.
In 2014, Matt Dees, Ruben Solorzano & team took on operation and farming of Radian and Bentrock Vineyards and shifted to precise sustainable & organic farming to transform and revitalize the soil.
Pinot Noir is the second-most planted grape in Santa Barbara County, just behind Chardonnay. It thrives in cooler areas of the region, namely in the of the Sta. Rita Hills, which is part of Santa Barbara’s larger Santa Ynez Valley sub-appellation. Thought for decades to be too cool for viticulture, Sta. Rita Hills began to gain notoriety in the 1970’s, thanks to the pioneering work of Richard Sandford and Michael Benedict, among others.
Santa Barbara Pinot Noir dances across the palate with vivid red fruit and spice. Precision, bright acidity, elegance and fruit-driven silkiness make Santa Barbara Pinot delightfully enjoyable, whether on their own or with a variety of dishes.